by Robin Jellis
When true simplicity is gained,To bow and to bend we shall not be ashamed,To turn, turn will be our delight,Till by turning, turning we come 'round right.
—Adapted from the Shaker song "Simple Gifts" by Joseph Brackett,a lifelong resident of Maine, written in 1848.
I recall seeing several robins huddled on branches outside the window—I couldn’t believe it—in February?! Okay, so it was a few years back, but I often think of it at this time. A group of robins is called a “round.” Perhaps this is because robins are considered harbingers of Spring, as the light returns and the seasons change. I like to think of a round as robins’ song, meant to be shared in community. A circle, spiral gathering ‘round to sing and stay warm.
As Kahlil Gibran said, family can be like a bow and a child like an arrow, sent off in a particular direction. Or maybe? Instead of staying the course, the arrow becomes a bird and finds that it has wings to fly wherever it so chooses.
For me, it’s not just a metaphor. Robbins is a family name. I was singing before I could put together a sentence. When I took up the cello (albeit with a different kind of bow!) I became “Robin Jellis the cellist.” How could I mess with that? I found my wings and my own voice playing cello and composing my own music.
The robins’ tree stands outside of where my grandparents lived. Simple Gifts was my grandmother’s favorite song. I loved playing cello and music for them. Now, even with one “broken wing” I persevere. Reminded of my grandparents fierce love, and with the support of community, I am finding my voice again—this time no strings attached.
May we all find our song, trust in the circle of seasons, and gather ‘round to share with one another and stay warm.
Robin Jellis has been a professional cellist and music instructor for more than 20 years, performing with the Bangor Symphony, both Maine State and Portland Ballet Orchestras, jazz ensemble Ocean Sol, Medieval ensemble Trobairitz! and for several different musical theater productions. Robin was a featured composer for the Yarmouth Contemporary Music Days in 2011 and has collaborated with several recording artists and poets, including a 2014 tour in Europe. She has been on the faculty at Waynflete School, 317 Main Street Community Music Center, and the Portland Conservatory of Music.
During the summer of 2016, Robin toured the country playing in several National Parks, including a performance for the Centennial celebration. She was beginning to put together her first CD of original music when she was in an auto accident, leaving her unable to do her work. Called to ministry, with a renewed sense of hope and trusting the change of seasons in her life, Robin is now a student at the Chaplaincy Institute of Maine and a board member for the Abbey of Hope. www.gofundme.com/robinj
Jody Breton is a Shamanic Practitioner and Ceremonialist. She was ordained an interfaith minister in 2011 by the Chaplaincy Institute of Maine. She studied Core Shamanism at the Center for Earthlight Healing and with the Foundation for Shamanic Studies, beginning in 2012. Jody shares her home and cozy practice space in Freeport with her husband and Sam, their feline ambassador. 
Susan Weiser Mason and Traditional Acupuncture are located in Damariscotta Mills/Nobleboro, Maine. She has been practicing since 1986. 
The Rev. Mark Gallup is a Pagan high priest, interfaith minister, spiritual seeker, mystic, and diviner of the Natural World. Mark has been a practicing Pagan for over thirty years. He is a graduate of the College of Wicca and Old Lore as well as being trained in Feri. Mark was ordained in 2013 as an interfaith minister by the Chaplaincy Institute of Maine. Along with his wife, Mary Gelfand, he leads Earth-centered spiritual events and serves as an elder for White Pine Programs in York, ME.
Myra Robinson is a ChIME (2016) ordained Interfaith Chaplain, and an entrepreneur. Her company, AffirMantraTM (which donates 10% of net profits to local charities), is a platform from which she offers “Workshops, Weddings, and Wonder” (think inspired creations: such as clergy stoles, and other artistic expressions), as well as bookings as a public speaker, officiant, group facilitator, teacher, musician, singer, and various clergy services. Rev. Myra currently lends her voice and musicianship to the Portland New Church Interfaith Community and strives to bring an element of Sacred Sound into every endeavor, for the spiritual nurturance and healing of the Earth and all living beings. Go to 
With the publication of his first collection of poems, A Heart on Fire, Poems from the Flames, David C. Weiss has continued to write poetry. As a member of the faculty of OLLI College at the University of Southern Maine he has offered workshops on poetry writing and the poetry of Western and Eastern Mystics. David earned his Master of Theology and Ph.D. in Pastoral Psychology degrees from Boston University.
After growing up in small towns of New England and Wisconsin, Lisa developed a strong connection to the affirming rhythms of the natural world while working in the mountains and coasts of Alaska and Washington. She currently lives in an aging farmhouse on the coast of Maine with her husband, two teenage sons, and a handful of animals. Lisa is a student in the Chaplaincy Institute of Maine (ChIME)’s Interfaith Ministry program and the author of, 
Rev. Dr. Mary Gelfand is an ordained Interfaith Minister, a gifted teacher, and Wiccan High Priestess. She teaches and writes on the topics of feminist spirituality, Tarot, and Earth-centered spiritual paths. She resides in Wells with her husband Mark, two cats, and a forest full of birds, chipmunks, and other mysteries of life. You can see more of her writings at 
Lori Whittemore is the founder and director of Abbey of Hope interfaith cooperation circle and of Clinical Pastoral Training Center of Southern Maine (CPTCSM), the training arm of the Abbey. Through CPTCSM she trains chaplains and pastoral care givers with today’s varied religious and spiritual landscape in mind. Rev. Whittemore approaches interfaith ministry from her Christian background and training as well as her interfaith education at Chaplaincy Institute of Maine.